The Korea Herald

New database to screen unfit draftees sparks privacy concern

The Defense Ministry plans to establish a database on the traits of conscripts who are prone to accidents, crimes or suicide to analyze and prevent those unfit for military life from joining the armed services.The plan was conceived after a series of soldiers, categorized as those “requiring special attention,” have committed various crimes including desertions with weapons and a shooting rampage, which have undermined troop morale and the overall readiness posture.But critics voiced concerns th

Sept. 13, 2015

New database to screen unfit draftees sparks privacy concern

Final death toll set at 173 in China warehouse explosion

Chinese authorities ended the search for the remaining eight missing in a massive chemical warehouse explosion last month, setting the final death toll at 173 in China's worst industrial disaster in years. The announcement on the Tianjin city government's microblog said there was no hope of finding the eight people, and the court will now start issuing death certificates. ``After thorough investigations by all parties, it is certain that there is no possibility of survivors,'' said the s

Sept. 12, 2015

UN official urges Iran to sign nuclear test ban treaty

The head of the U.N.'s nuclear test ban treaty organization says Iran should follow up on its historic nuclear deal with world powers by ratifying the treaty and assuring it will never conduct a nuclear test explosion. Lassina Zerbo said in an interview Friday with The Associated Press that if Iran doesn't ratify the treaty, ``it will leave room for the doubt that people have put in this deal and the good intentions of Iran.'' Zerbo said Iran should have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Te

Sept. 12, 2015

Gas cylinder blast kills 25 in central India: police

A powerful gas cylinder explosion in a packed restaurant in India's Madhya Pradesh state left 25 people dead Saturday, police said. The death toll rose after rescuers recovered five more bodies from the debris of the shattered restaurant and surrounding buildings. The blast occurred at around 8:30 am (0300 GMT) at the restaurant in the town of Petlawad in Jhabua district, as dozens of office workers and schoolchildren were having breakfast, senior district police official Seema Alava said

Sept. 12, 2015

Two Koreas to exchange lists of candidates for family reunions Tuesday

The two Koreas will exchange lists of their candidates for the upcoming reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War at the truce village of Panmunjom next week, the local Red Cross said Saturday. The Korean Red Cross said it will send a list of 250 candidates from the South while receiving a list of 200 candidates from its North Korean counterpart on Tuesday. The move came as South and North Korea agreed earlier this month to hold the reunions for 100 separated families each fr

Sept. 12, 2015

Chung criticizes ruling on Asian support for Platini

FIFA presidential contender Chung Mong-joon has criticized election monitors who cleared the Asian Football Confederation of improperly supporting Michel Platini. The former FIFA vice president from South Korea says the FIFA-appointed committee investigated for only three days and forfeited its ``duty to ensure the fairness of the election.'' He filed a complaint after the AFC sent members a template letter soliciting support for Platini, the UEFA president. Asian leaders publicly suppo

Sept. 11, 2015

S. Korea mulls test-launch of ballistic missile under development

South Korea is considering a test-launch of a ballistic missile with a range of 800 kilometers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday, unveiling the test plan of the missile the country is developing to guard against North Korea's advancing missile threats. "We are reviewing a plan to do a launch into the international sea south of the Korean air defense identification zone (KADIZ) and the island of Ieodo," Maj. Gen. Yang Byung-hee of the JCS said during a parliamentary audit. His com

Sept. 11, 2015

Nuke test, missile launch by N. Korea may lead to loudspeaker broadcasts

A nuclear test or a test-launch of long-range missiles by North Korea would constitute an "abnormal situation," in which South Korea would be compelled to resume its loudspeaker broadcasts against the North under a recent inter-Korean deal, the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Friday. "North Korea's nuclear test and long-range missile launch should be deemed as an abnormal situation," JCS Chairman Choi Yoon-hee said in a parliamentary audit, indicating that Seoul will resume its p

Sept. 11, 2015

Grenade blast at boot camp kills 1, injures 2

A grenade exploded at an Army recruit training center in Daegu on Friday, killing one instructor and injuring two other soldiers, military officials said. The incident took place at 11:08 a.m. as a 20-year-old trainee, identified only by his surname Sohn, was preparing to throw a K413 hand grenade right after removing its safety hook. A 27-year-old sergeant surnamed Kim who was giving guidelines in the same trench was immediately hospitalized to treat shrapnel wounds all over his body but died a

Sept. 11, 2015

Grenade blast at boot camp kills 1, injures 2

A grenade exploded at an Army recruit training center in Daegu on Friday, killing one instructor and injuring two other soldiers. The incident took place at around 11 a.m. as a 20-year-old trainee, identified only by his surname Sohn, was gearing up to throw a K413 hand grenade right after removing its safety hook. A 27-year-old sergeant surnamed Kim who was giving guidelines in the same trench was immediately hospitalized to treat shrapnel wounds all over his body but died shortly before 1 p.m.

Sept. 11, 2015

S. Korea's chief nuclear envoy to visit U.S. next week

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy will visit the United States next week for talks with his U.S. counterpart and other officials, an official said Friday, amid renewed momentum to curb North Korea's nuclear weapons program.Hwang Joon-kook, special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, will fly to New York Sunday for meetings with delegates of U.N. Security Council member states.From New York, the chief envoy to the stalled six-party talks on ending North Korea's nuclear

Sept. 11, 2015

USFK commander requests probe into media leakage of new operation plan

Commander of the United States Forces Korea (USFK) Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti has requested a joint investigation into the leakage to the media of a new military operation plan signed recently with the South Korean military, according to a parliamentary audit into Seoul's Defense Ministry."It is a fact that there has been a request (from Scaparrotti) for a joint probe," Cho Hyun-chun, the head of the Defense Security Command, said in response to a lawmaker's query on the recent media coverage of th

Sept. 10, 2015

Defense minister departs for Australia, Philippines

Defense Minister Han Min-koo departed for Australia Thursday to attend a joint meeting of the two countries' defense and foreign ministers in Sydney later this week.The so-called two-plus-two dialogue set for Friday will bring together Han, Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se and their Aussie counterparts, Kevin Andrews and Julie Bishop, in Sydney.The event marks South Korea's second biannual two-plus-two meeting with Australia, one of only two partners for the security dialogue platform. The U.S. is

Sept. 10, 2015

Seoul adopts proactive DMZ defense tactics

North Korea has not conducted any explosive tests required to miniaturize a nuclear warhead this year, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said Thursday, indicating that Pyongyang’s technology may have gone beyond a level that requires frequent detonation experiments.During a parliamentary audit, Cho Bo-geun, chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency under the ministry, confirmed it, triggering the speculation that the North was already well on the way to being able to mount nuclear warheads on missiles.The

Sept. 10, 2015

Forum explores efforts for Korean unification

Some 250 top defense policymakers, military executives and academics from more than 30 countries on Thursday stressed the significance of concerted efforts of neighbors in achieving a peaceful integration of the Koreas, saying their division remains a regional threat. As the Seoul Defense Dialogue kicked off, the participants explored possible scenarios of the unification, from a “soft landing” based on a mutual consent, to a “hard landing” involving an abrupt fall of the Kim Jong-un regime or p

Sept. 10, 2015

Forum explores efforts for Korean unification

Park calls for global security mechanism

By Shin Hyon-hee President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday underscored the need for a multinational security mechanism in East Asia, saying it would help bring about not only a unification of the Korean Peninsula but also lasting peace and stability in the region. In her keynote speech to the Seoul Defense Dialogue, she pointed to what she called the Asian paradox as a threat to global peace ― regional instability stemming from the perennial standoff on the peninsula and persistent territorial and hi

Sept. 9, 2015

‘Dolphin diplomacy’ features in Seoul Defense Dialogue

President Park Geun-hye’s attendance at China’s much-trumpeted military parade last week underscored both increasingly tricky diplomatic challenges facing South Korea, and the potential of its middle-power diplomacy to seek a delicate balance between the U.S. and China. Hwang Jae-hoPark’s trip to Beijing from Sept. 2-4 came amid escalating concerns that it could further reinforce the growing impression that Seoul is tilting too much toward Beijing at the expense of its traditional security alli

Sept. 9, 2015

‘Dolphin diplomacy’ features in Seoul Defense Dialogue

Budget plan focuses on border defense

Seoul has earmarked 38.95 trillion won ($32.7 billion) in its proposal for next year’s defense budget, an increase of 4 percent from the previous year, as it seeks to beef up defense capabilities to better counter North Korea’s evolving military threats.“To realize a robust security, we have reflected the security situations, including North Korea’s recent provocations, and our strong resolve to address them in our budget planning for next year,” Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo said during

Sept. 9, 2015

Park calls for international security mechanism

President Park Geun-hye on Wednesday underscored the need for a multinational security mechanism in East Asia, saying it would help bring about not only a unification of the Korean Peninsula but also lasting peace and stability in the region. In her keynote speech to the Seoul Defense Dialogue, she pointed to what she called the Asian paradox as a threat to global peace -- regional instability stemming from the perennial standoff on the peninsula and persistent territorial and historical spats b

Sept. 9, 2015

Park calls for international security mechanism

Forum to draw world defense officials, experts

High-level defense officials from some 30 countries and global organizations are set to gather in Seoul this week to discuss pressing security issues around the region and the world and explore ways to counter emerging unconventional threats. Hosted by the Defense Ministry, the Seoul Defense Dialogue will kick off on Wednesday for a three-day run with the theme “70 years of the Post-WWII Era and the Division of Korea.” The vice-ministerial conference is its fourth edition this year.The participa

Sept. 8, 2015